Consider with me for a moment your past. That’s something out of the ordinary to think about right? We tend to try to erase our past from our memory, block it out, and not look back. But why is that?
Honestly, it’s probably because we’ve been through extremely difficult circumstances, we’ve done many things we now regret, and we don’t like to see the person that we used to be. Because of all that, we move on and never look back… But I think every once in awhile it’s important to look and see where we’ve come from, what we’ve gone through, and the growth that has happened in our lives. God changes us, strengthens us, grows us, and teaches us practically every day, and because of that we won’t be the same people from day to day. As long as we take to heart and mind what He’s doing and wants to do in our lives, the person we were in the past will be completely different from the person that we are today.
I have definitely been thinking a lot about this in my own life lately. God has completely transformed my heart and mind even within the last month. Sitting around a fire last night just talking with a couple girls about what God has been doing in us within the last year, we have come great lengths. I can even look at who I was a little over a month ago and see that I’m not EVEN the same person as I was then. God’s SO good and took my even most recent past and changed me completely from that. And I can now look back and see how much I have grown and how much more I am chasing after Him. And I’ll never go back. Thattt is the great part about looking at our past. We can see that we’ve changed and we won’t want to go back.
There is definitely a difference between looking at the past and seeing how far we’ve come; and continually dwelling on what happened in the past. I’ve been guilty of this too. We have to get out of the ‘pity party for one’ mindset. We have to stop living by what happened to us, what we have done, and who we used to be. God has already forgiven us for who we used to be and what we’ve done. But have we honestly forgiven ourselves?
The reason I asked you to look at your past for a moment with me is for us to really look at who we are now. Have we let our past depict who we are now? Are we still letting our ‘old self’ reign in who we are now? Or can we honestly say that we have taken who we used to be, let God completely change that person, and now can look at our past with joy because of how God used that to make us into who we are in Him?
One glance at our past and a look at who we are now, and praise God for the transformation He has done in our lives. Getting to that point where we can praise Him for what He’s done and what He’s brought us through is the point where we can look at our past and decide that because of all that I have grown in the Lord and I will continue to do so. Everyyyday.
“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.”
Philippians 3:13-16 (MSG)
No comments:
Post a Comment